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By Sean Lund
GLAAD's Hollywood Hotsheet Melissa Etheridge's Breakdown
After eight years of non-stop recording and touring, Melissa Etheridge took an extended hiatus from the music business. Four years later, Etheridge is preparing to release Breakdown, an eleven-song collection due Tuesday October 5 on Island Records.
The co-recipient of the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 1999 GLAAD Media Awards (with partner Julie Cypher), the out-and-proud Etheridge has consistently and boldly mixed artistry and activism, and with the confessional, darkly textured Breakdown, she continues to do both. Among the most moving tracks on Breakdown is "Scarecrow," a haunting song that deals with the death of Matthew Shepard. "I don't usually write about specific contemporary themes at all," Etheridge recently told Girlfriends magazine, noting that Shepard was killed only a month before her son was born.
"It struck me so hard. It struck into my heart and soul. I thought 'I'm about to have a son. How could my son ever do that to somebody, and what could I enrich his life with to ensure that he could never comprehend or feel that sort of hate and fear?' "
A special treat for devoted Etheridge fans: the music video for Breakdown's first single, "Angels Would Fall," was directed by Etheridge and features several intimate scenes involving lesbian and gay couples. Check it out! Sheedy Inches Toward Broadway
Since its debut in February 1998, John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been one of New York's most popular off-Broadway shows. But in a late September casting change, the role of Hedwig, until now played by a male actor, has been taken over by award-winning film actress Ally Sheedy (High Art).
Sporting a wig described as "Sally Struthers meets Chaka Kahn in a tornado" and new choreography, Sheedy's casting has caused some controversy. On the show's web site, Mitchell asked the musical's ardent fans to offer their support to Sheedy: "She'll need to feel welcome to go where she needs to go in this part, and I hope you'll all be there for her." A rock-n-roll glam punk musical, Hedwig tells the story of Hedwig Schmidt, an East German Cold War drag queen who, after a botched sex-change operation, achieves tabloid fame as an "internationally ignored song stylist." GenderPac will be hosting a special benefit performance of Hedwig on October 24 at the Jane Street Theater. For further information, please call 212.645.2686. Hedwig is also scheduled to begin its Los Angeles run at the Henry Fonda Theater on October 22.
Beauty for All to See:
VCR Alert: Monday, October 4: Out-and-proud rocker Melissa Etheridge is scheduled to chat with Rosie O'Donnell about her new album Breakdown on The Rosie O'Donnell Show (NBC, Check Local Listings). Tuesday, October 5: Melissa Etheridge is scheduled to perform on Late Night with David Letterman (CBS, 11:35PM ET/PT). Thursday, October 7: The series premiere of Kevin Williamson's Wasteland, starring Dan Montgomery as Russell, a closeted soap opera star (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT). |
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